Nicosia, Cyprus. Cyprus is not involved in negotiations with Iran aimed at opening the Strait of Hormuz to Cypriot-flagged commercial vessels, Shipping Deputy Minister Marina Hadjimanolis said on Tuesday. Her comments followed reports that France and Italy have entered talks to secure passage through the strait.
Cyprus position and EU role
Hadjimanolis said Cyprus is not involved in talks regarding the Strait of Hormuz and is instead monitoring developments and working to find avenues for common action with European Union partners, citing Cyprus’ position as holder of the presidency of the Council of the European Union and as an EU member state.
She added that the Cypriot government has not received any official information from France or Italy regarding negotiations with Iran related to the strait.
Cypriot-flagged shipping through the strait
Cyprus chamber of commerce and industry (Keve) secretary-general Philokypros Rousounides said that while Cyprus’ merchant fleet is large relative to the country’s size and is the ninth-largest in the world, the proportion of Cypriot-flagged ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz is not so great.
Reports involving France, Italy and Iran
Reports first surfaced last week, with the Financial Times stating that France and Italy had opened talks with Iran seeking to guarantee safe passage for their ships.
The newspaper reported that European capitals had opened tentative discussions in an attempt to restart oil and gas exports without expanding the conflict.
India comments and French and Italian responses
Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar said direct negotiations with Iran would be the most effective way to restart shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, telling the Financial Times that, from India’s perspective, it is better to coordinate and reach a solution.
Reuters later quoted two French officials as saying France is pushing on with efforts to put together a coalition to secure the Strait of Hormuz once the security situation stabilises.
Reuters also quoted a source from the Italian foreign ministry who denied the report, saying Italian leaders want to favour conditions for general military de-escalation and that there is no under-the-table negotiation aimed at preserving only some merchant ships at the expense of others.
What steps do you think the European Union should take in response to developments affecting shipping through the Strait of Hormuz?
